The Montrella Test Set Protocol
The foundational training metric that connects what you do in practice to what you'll do in competition. Understanding and properly executing this protocol is essential for accurate predictions.
What Is the Montrella Test Set?
The Montrella Test Set is a structured practice effort designed to measure a swimmer's ability to hold and maintain the fastest possible interval sustained over 1,800 yards. It is the foundational training metric that powers this calculator's predictions.
The test set can be administered in any of three equivalent formats:
All formats are equivalent
Regardless of format, all times are standardized to a per-100-yard interval. A swimmer averaging 2:10 per 200 is recorded as a 1:05 per-100 interval, the same as a swimmer who averages 1:05 on each 100, or 3:15 per 300. This makes every set fully comparable, no matter how it was written.
The Defining Rule
Critical: No Missed Repetitions
The pace recorded must represent the fastest interval the swimmer could sustain consistently across the entire set. If a swimmer missed any repetition during the set, the set cannot be counted for data collection or prediction purposes.
This rule is non-negotiable. The integrity of the prediction model depends on every recorded test set being a true representation of the swimmer's sustained performance capacity — not an isolated best effort.
Administering the Test Set
Choose one format (18×100, 9×200, or 6×300) and run all repetitions on a consistent interval that allows the swimmer to hold their best sustainable pace.
The interval should be challenging but achievable — the swimmer should be working hard but not so hard that they miss repetitions.
Take the time for each completed repetition and convert it to an interval per 100 yards. If using 200s, divide the time by 2. If using 300s, divide by 3. Examples: a 2:10 on a 200 is a 1:05 interval per 100. A 3:30 on a 300 is a 1:10 interval per 100.
The test set can be run in any stroke: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly. Running all four strokes produces the most accurate multi-event predictions.
Conditions matter — note the training block, season, and any relevant context (taper week, mid-heavy training, etc.) when logging the set.
Honesty Is the Protocol
Swimming has always been honest. You either hold the pace, or you don't.
The power of the Montrella Test Set comes from its integrity. A slightly inflated interval entry entered into the calculator produces a prediction that looks faster than reality, and a swimmer who walks onto the blocks expecting something they haven't earned in practice yet.
The right way to use this
Enter the interval that honestly represents what the swimmer sustains across every repetition. The goal isn't to get the fastest-looking prediction, it's to get the most accurate one. Accurate predictions are what let coaches and swimmers plan, prepare, and improve with real information.
Example Calculation
Swimmer holds a 1:05.0 interval across all 18 repetitions with no missed intervals.
Recorded pace: 1:05.0 / 100 yards freestyle
Swimmer holds a 3:35.0 interval across all 6 repetitions.
Divided by 3 → Recorded interval: 1:11.7 / 100 yards backstroke